Lever combination switch

ABSTRACT

There is provided a lever combination switch which can save a connector space at a reverse side of a bottom of a switch case. 
     In the lever combination switch, a bottom of the switch case is fixed to a bracket, mounted on a steering shaft, through an insulator interposed therebetween, and the insulator, comprises a lower insulator, having at its reverse side a lower connector for connection to a connector connected to a vehicle-side circuit, and an upper insulator which has at its obverse side an upper connector for connection to a connector, connected to a circuit on the switch case, and the upper insulator also has a terminal, which projects from a reverse surface of the upper insulator, and is connected to the lower connector, and the upper insulator is disposed in superposing relation to the lower connector.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a lever combination switch mounted on asteering shaft in a vehicle.

1. Background Art

In a lever combination switch of this kind, as shown in FIG. 3, abracket 2, made of an iron plate, is mounted on a steering shaft 1, anda switch case 3 is fixedly secured to this bracket 2. An insulator 4 isinterposed between a bottom of this switch case 3 and the bracket 2.

Two female connectors 5 and 6 are formed at the insulator 4, and aterminal 7, embedded therein by insert molding, projects into the femaleconnectors 5 and 6. A male connector 9, connected through a cord 8 to alighting switch and a wiper switch within the switch case 3, isconnected to the female connector 5, and a male connector 11, connectedthrough a cord 10 to a vehicle-side circuit, is connected to the femaleconnector 6, and by doing so, a switch case-side circuit is connected tothe vehicle-side circuit.

In the above conventional lever combination switch, the male connector9, extending from the switch case 3, and the male connector 11,extending from the vehicle, are connected respectively to the femaleconnectors 5 and 6 provided at the reverse side of the bottom of theswitch case 3, and therefore a large connector space is required at thereverse side of the bottom of the switch case 3.

2. Disclosure of the Invention

With the above point in view, it is an object of this invention toprovide a lever combination switch which can save a connector space at areverse side of a bottom of a switch case.

A lever combination switch wherein a bottom of a switch case is fixed toa bracket, mounted on a steering shaft, through an insulator interposedtherebetween, CHARACTERIZED in that the insulator comprises a lowerinsulator, having at its reverse side a lower connector for connectionto a connector connected to a vehicle-side circuit, and an upperinsulator which has at its obverse side an upper connector forconnection to a connector, connected to a switch case-side circuit, andthe upper insulator also has a terminal, which projects from a reversesurface of the upper insulator, and is connected to the lower connector,and the upper insulator is disposed in superposing relation to the lowerconnector.

In the present invention, the upper connector for connection to theconnector, connected to the switch case-side circuit, is formed on theobverse side of the upper insulator, and only the lower connector forconnection to the connector, connected to the vehicle-side circuit, isformed on the reverse side of the lower insulator. Therefore, aconnector space at the reverse side of the bottom of the switch case canbe saved, and such saved space is used for the mounting of the bracket,and by doing so, the size of the bracket can be increased, therebyincreasing the strength thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a partly-broken, plan view showing one embodiment of a levercombination switch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper insulator and a lowerinsulator which are provided at the lever combination switch.

FIG. 3 is a side-elevational view showing a conventional levercombination switch mounted on a steering shaft.

FIG. 4 is a partly-broken, plan view showing the conventional levercombination switch.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings. FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a lever combination switch 20of the present invention. This lever combination switch comprises abracket 22, which is made of an iron plate, and is mounted on a steeringshaft 21, a switch case 24 having a wiper switch lever 23, an upperinsulator 25 and a lower insulator 26, the upper and lower insulatorsbeing interposed in a superposed manner between a bottom of the switchcase 24 and the bracket 22. A lower female connector 29 for connectionto a male connector 28, connected through a cord 27 to a vehicle-sidecircuit, is formed at a reverse side of the lower insulator 26, and anupper female connector 32 for connection to a male connector 31,connected through a cord 30 to a wiper switch, is formed at an obverseside of the upper insulator 25.

As shown in FIG. 2, a terminal 33, projecting into the lower femaleconnector 29, is embedded in the lower insulator 26 by insert molding. Aterminal 34 is embedded in the upper insulator 25 by insert molding, andone end portion 34a, branching from the terminal 34, projects into theupper female connector 32, and the other end portion 34b projects fromthe reverse surface of the upper insulator, and when the two insulators25 and 26 are superposed together, the other end portion 34b projectsinto the lower female connector 29.

The lever combination switch 20 of this embodiment has the aboveconstruction, and the upper connector 32 for connection to the maleconnector 31, connected through the cord 30 to the switch case 24, isformed on the obverse side of the upper insulator 25, and only the lowerconnector 29 for connection to the male connector 28, connected throughthe cord 27 to the vehicle-side circuit, is formed on the reverse sideof the lower insulator 26. Therefore, as compared with the conventionallever combination switch in which the two male connectors are connectedat the reverse side of the bottom of the switch case 24, a connectorspace at the reverse side of the bottom of the switch case 24 can besaved, and such saved space is used for the mounting of the bracket 22,and by doing so, the size of the bracket can be increased, therebyincreasing the strength.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lever combination switch wherein a bottom of aswitch case is fixed to a bracket, mounted on a steering shaft, throughan insulator interposed therebetween, wherein said insulator comprises alower insulator having a lower connector at its bottom surface forconnecting to a first connector connected to a vehicle-side circuit andan upper insulator having an upper connector at its upper surface forconnecting to a second connector connected to a switch case-sidecircuit, and wherein said lower insulator has a terminal projected intothe lower connector and said upper insulator has a terminal which has aportion projected from a bottom surface of said upper insulator andconnected to said lower connector, and said upper insulator is disposedin superposing relation to said lower insulator.